In Search of Oldton



The brush-making business was in the family for generations.

Under my dad's tenure it struggled, was sold, and then shut down. You could blame the drink, but the economy did its fair share of the damage. Let's face it, if coal, steel and shipbuilding weren't going to make it as enduring British industries, what chance did brushmaking have?

W
ith the closure went the major source of employment for the town. The working class men got on their bikes, became tarmaccers on the motorway, lived off the dole or turned to crime. For the bosses the options were different, but the results the same.

The factory itself became a housing estate. All gone. One final sweep-out, you might say.

Writers for the Future